Women at Work

The Essentials: Handling Fierce Criticism

Mar 25, 2024

Leadership roles often face harsh criticism, requiring preparation and resilience. Guests share experiences with public critiques and online harassment. Strategies include humility, data reliance, and community support. Challenges faced by women leaders of color and handling gender bias in criticism are discussed. Emphasizes accountability and maintaining professionalism amidst scrutiny.

35:27

Creator website

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Prepare for harsh critiques by maintaining composure and strategic communication.

Address gender biases by balancing empathy and decisiveness, adapting to feedback for growth.

Deep dives

Managing Criticism in the Professional World

Receiving criticism, especially in visible roles like podcast hosting, can be challenging for professionals. In the podcast, Ruchika Toshyan, a finance journalist, shared her experience of being attacked online, highlighting the struggles faced by women and people of color. Despite the pushback, Ruchika now advises executives on diversity and inclusion, demonstrating resilience and the ability to cope with criticism.

Introduction

2min

Navigating Criticism as Women Leaders of Color

12min

Navigating Criticism and Building Resilience in Leadership

4min

Navigating Harsh Criticism with Grace and Growth

11min

Navigating Criticism and Accountability in Leadership

4min

Navigating Gender Bias in Leadership Criticism

5min

If you’re in a leadership role, or any role where you’re putting yourself and your ideas out there in an outspoken and visible way, chances are that at some point people are going to criticize you, sometimes fiercely, sometimes publicly. Are you ready for that?

Two women who’ve felt the heat because of decisions they’ve made or arguments they’ve put forward—or simply because of who they are—reflect on the ways they’ve steeled themselves for harsh critiques and dealt with the fallout. Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar describes the preparation and the presence of mind she summoned as a university president communicating contentious budget cuts. Ruchika Tulshyan brings her expertise in DEI and women’s leadership to contextualize those experiences, and she describes her own experiences with online harassment and how she’s dealt with skeptics.

Listening to them recount how they responded to fierce criticism will hopefully help you think about how you might respond, both when you see it coming and when you don’t.

Guest experts:

Ruchika Tulshyan is the author of the book Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work. She is the founder of Candour, an inclusion strategy firm.

Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar is an executive coach who was previously the president and CEO of the University of Central Oklahoma.

Resources: